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A Case of Recurrent Spontaneous CSF Rhinorrhoea with Meningoencephalitis

Received: 18 November 2021    Accepted: 6 December 2021    Published: 24 December 2021
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Abstract

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea is the leakage of CSF from the subarachnoid space into the nasal cavity. A cerebrospinal fluid leak from intracranial cavity to nasal respiratory tract has the potential to produce fulminant meningitis because of the risk of an ascending infection. Recurrent spontaneous CSF rhinorrhoea is definitely a life-threatening entity that can be preventable with timely intervention. This case report describes the clinical course of a 51 year old obese female with recurrent episodes of spontaneous CSF rhinorrhoea presenting with high grade fever, vomiting, headache and new-onset seizure. She was evaluated for meningoencephalitis and CSF culture revealed growth of Staphylococcus arlettae. Patient improved with ceftriaxone, vancomycin and levetiracetam and was advised for early surgical repair. A longer duration of nasal discharge of CSF has greater risk of morbidity/mortality due to ascending CNS infection. The episodes of spontaneous CNS rhinorrhoea can pass by unnoticed and can also be missed for rhinosinusitis. A high suspicion of diagnosis can lead to early detection of this condition and better outcome. Treatment decisions should be dictated by the severity of neurological decline during the emergency period and the presence/absence of associated intracranial lesions. The emphasis for timely surgical repair should be advocated for better outcome.

Published in Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience (Volume 5, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.cnn.20210504.18
Page(s) 124-128
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

CSF Rhinorrhea, Meningoencephalitis, Staphylococcus Arlettae

References
[1] Ozveren MF, Kaplan M, Topsakal C, Bilge T, Erol FS, Celiker H et al. Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea associated with chronic renal failure--case report. Neurol Med Chir 2001; 41: 313-7.
[2] Lopatin AS, Kapitanov DN, Potapov AA. Endonasal endoscopic repair of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003; 129: 859–63.
[3] Iffenecker C, Benoudiba F, Parker F, Fuerxer F, David P, Tadie M et al. The place of MRI in the study of cerebrospinal fluid fistulas. J Radiol 1999; 80: 37-43.
[4] Abuabara A. Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea: diagnosis and management. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 2007; 12: E397-400.
[5] Brodie HA, Thompson TC. Management of complications from 820 temporal bone fractures. Am J Otol 1997; 18: 188-97.
[6] Berhanu AE, et al. BMJ Case Rep 2014. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2014-206133.
[7] Shah Nishit, Shukla Sunita Chhapola. Spontaneous Recurrent CSF Rhinorrhoea: A Rare Case and Review of Literature. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg (July–Sept 2017) 69 (3): 420–424.
[8] Garcia-Urı´a J, Carrillo R, Serrano P, et al. Empty sella and rhinorrhea. A report of eight treated cases. J Neurosurg 1979; 50: 466–71.
[9] Gacek RR, Gacek MR, Tart R. Adult spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea: diagnosis and management. Am J Otol 1999; 20: 770–76.
[10] Stone JA, Castillo M, Neelon B, et al. Evaluation of CSF leaks: high-resolution CT compared with contrast-enhanced CT and radionuclide cisternography. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 1999; 20: 706–12.
[11] Shetty PG, Shroff MM, Fatterpekar GM, et al. A retrospective analysis of spontaneous sphenoid sinus fistula: MR and CT findings. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2000; 21: 337–42.
[12] Ommaya AK, Di Chiro G, Baldwin M, et al. Non-traumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1968; 31: 214–25.
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[14] Schlosser RJ, Woodworth BA, Wilensky EM, et al. Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks: a variant of benign intracranial hypertension. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2006; 115: 495–500.
[15] Owler BK, Allan R, Parker G, et al. Pseudotumour cerebri, CSF rhinorrhea and the role of venous sinus stenting in treatment. Br J Neurosurg 2003; 17: 79–83.
[16] Carrau RL, Snyderman CH, Kassam A. The management of cerebrospinal fluid leaks in patients at risk for high-pressure hydrocephalus. Laryngoscope 2005; 115: 205–12.
[17] Skedros DG, Cass SP, Hirsch BE, Kelly RH. Sources of error in use of beta-2 transferrin analysis for diagnosing perilymphatic and cerebral spinal fluid leaks. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1993; 109: 861–4.
[18] Chow JM, Goodman D, Mafee MF. Evaluation of CSF rhinorrhea by computerized tomography with metrizamide. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1989; 100: 99–105.
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[20] Eberhardt KW, Hollenbach HP, Deimling M, et al. MR cisternography: a new method for the diagnosis of CSF fistulae. Eur Radiol 1997; 7: 1485–91.
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  • APA Style

    Shweta Pandey, Rajarshi Chakraborty. (2021). A Case of Recurrent Spontaneous CSF Rhinorrhoea with Meningoencephalitis. Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience, 5(4), 124-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cnn.20210504.18

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    ACS Style

    Shweta Pandey; Rajarshi Chakraborty. A Case of Recurrent Spontaneous CSF Rhinorrhoea with Meningoencephalitis. Clin. Neurol. Neurosci. 2021, 5(4), 124-128. doi: 10.11648/j.cnn.20210504.18

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    AMA Style

    Shweta Pandey, Rajarshi Chakraborty. A Case of Recurrent Spontaneous CSF Rhinorrhoea with Meningoencephalitis. Clin Neurol Neurosci. 2021;5(4):124-128. doi: 10.11648/j.cnn.20210504.18

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  • @article{10.11648/j.cnn.20210504.18,
      author = {Shweta Pandey and Rajarshi Chakraborty},
      title = {A Case of Recurrent Spontaneous CSF Rhinorrhoea with Meningoencephalitis},
      journal = {Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience},
      volume = {5},
      number = {4},
      pages = {124-128},
      doi = {10.11648/j.cnn.20210504.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cnn.20210504.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cnn.20210504.18},
      abstract = {Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea is the leakage of CSF from the subarachnoid space into the nasal cavity. A cerebrospinal fluid leak from intracranial cavity to nasal respiratory tract has the potential to produce fulminant meningitis because of the risk of an ascending infection. Recurrent spontaneous CSF rhinorrhoea is definitely a life-threatening entity that can be preventable with timely intervention. This case report describes the clinical course of a 51 year old obese female with recurrent episodes of spontaneous CSF rhinorrhoea presenting with high grade fever, vomiting, headache and new-onset seizure. She was evaluated for meningoencephalitis and CSF culture revealed growth of Staphylococcus arlettae. Patient improved with ceftriaxone, vancomycin and levetiracetam and was advised for early surgical repair. A longer duration of nasal discharge of CSF has greater risk of morbidity/mortality due to ascending CNS infection. The episodes of spontaneous CNS rhinorrhoea can pass by unnoticed and can also be missed for rhinosinusitis. A high suspicion of diagnosis can lead to early detection of this condition and better outcome. Treatment decisions should be dictated by the severity of neurological decline during the emergency period and the presence/absence of associated intracranial lesions. The emphasis for timely surgical repair should be advocated for better outcome.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    AB  - Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea is the leakage of CSF from the subarachnoid space into the nasal cavity. A cerebrospinal fluid leak from intracranial cavity to nasal respiratory tract has the potential to produce fulminant meningitis because of the risk of an ascending infection. Recurrent spontaneous CSF rhinorrhoea is definitely a life-threatening entity that can be preventable with timely intervention. This case report describes the clinical course of a 51 year old obese female with recurrent episodes of spontaneous CSF rhinorrhoea presenting with high grade fever, vomiting, headache and new-onset seizure. She was evaluated for meningoencephalitis and CSF culture revealed growth of Staphylococcus arlettae. Patient improved with ceftriaxone, vancomycin and levetiracetam and was advised for early surgical repair. A longer duration of nasal discharge of CSF has greater risk of morbidity/mortality due to ascending CNS infection. The episodes of spontaneous CNS rhinorrhoea can pass by unnoticed and can also be missed for rhinosinusitis. A high suspicion of diagnosis can lead to early detection of this condition and better outcome. Treatment decisions should be dictated by the severity of neurological decline during the emergency period and the presence/absence of associated intracranial lesions. The emphasis for timely surgical repair should be advocated for better outcome.
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Author Information
  • Department of Neurology, King George Medical University, Lucknow, India

  • Department of Neurology, King George Medical University, Lucknow, India

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